1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of communication systems, and in particular, to bandwidth sharing between communication devices within a communication system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
High-bandwidth communications are becoming customary for both businesses and residences. Customers are requesting more bandwidth from service providers to satisfy their communication needs. Thus, service providers are continually searching for methods and systems to supply the higher bandwidths to their customers.
One way to provide high bandwidth is with high-bandwidth links, such as Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service links, ISDN service links, and satellite links. Even though these service links provide a high bandwidth to the customer, the customer may require an even higher bandwidth than these service links can provide.
One method of providing more bandwidth to the customer is to provide multiple links between the service provider and the customer. For example, the service provider could set up two Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) links with the customer. A communication device located at the customer premises bonds the data received over the two PSTN links to provide increased bandwidth. Alternatively, the service provider could set up a PSTN link and a satellite link. Unfortunately, the communication device at the customer premises may have a difficult time bonding data received over different types of links.
Another problem is that communication systems are not utilizing the full capacity of their resources. For example, while a first customer may require an increased bandwidth, a second customer may have bandwidth that is not being fully utilized. The bandwidth available to the second customer is being wasted, and consequently, the service provider is not operating at maximum capacity. Unfortunately, current communication systems have not been effectively adapted to utilize the available bandwidth provided to its customers.